Author Topic: My first cheeses  (Read 10386 times)

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: My first cheeses
« Reply #15 on: March 01, 2012, 02:45:12 AM »
Oh she's beautiful! Gotta love that face and those big brown eyes! Can't help myself another cheese for the beautiful baby!

Corina

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Re: My first cheeses
« Reply #16 on: March 01, 2012, 05:06:30 AM »
Oh, how nice she is!
So nice you can grow your own cow, so much cheese to make!

anarch

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Re: My first cheeses
« Reply #17 on: March 01, 2012, 06:39:54 PM »
Lily is gorgeous!  Love her. 


Offline Shadeydaze

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Re: My first cheeses
« Reply #18 on: March 06, 2012, 03:53:56 AM »
LOL!!...she is a bit gorgeous (but then I know I'm biased)......she is coming on really nicely - that is alternate speak for she doesn't leap a mile in the air everytime we go near her ::)...she is a little treasure so hopefully she is going to have a very long, happy and productive life here.

Of course now that means I have something else to research as well as cheese  :o
Don't get your knickers in a knot..it solves nothing and makes you walk funny

Cloversmilker

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Re: My first cheeses
« Reply #19 on: March 06, 2012, 04:16:41 AM »
It won't be too long before she'll be waiting to be milked...

Here's my Clover.  She came to me as a wee lame calf about 3 years ago. 

Offline Shadeydaze

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Re: My first cheeses
« Reply #20 on: March 11, 2012, 05:32:55 AM »
Oh my ...she is beautiful...she is just like a bigger version of Lily who is still very wee  :D
Don't get your knickers in a knot..it solves nothing and makes you walk funny

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: My first cheeses
« Reply #21 on: March 11, 2012, 08:45:08 PM »
Cows can be such beautiful animals I wonder why we decided to eat them?  ???

Offline Shadeydaze

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Re: My first cheeses
« Reply #22 on: April 03, 2012, 10:22:05 AM »
So I have eaten the Gouda...and it tasted....like a young Gouda !!! ^-^
The second one I made I lost however..but I think I know what went wrong

I mucked up when I was washing the curds so they weren't cooked as much and then so the results were much softer...then I pressed them in the same way as I would have done had I not mucked up so the cheese was softer....end result it seemed to dry OK but them half way through the 25 days it collapsed and BLURGH!  :o

The cheddar...well now that's a different thing altogether..it's looking good and I was going to cut it in May...note I was going to but.....I already have  ::)...it tastes like a young cheddar ...YAY!!
I am going to make some more in the next couple of days - this time I am going to try and let it dry for a day less as I think it's a little dry in texture maybe

They are in wax...does this stop them drying out as they mature or do I need to up the humidity....bearing in mind I am not using the technicalities of some of the cheesemakers here...my cheese cave is a chilly bin with an ice cream cartons to provide the chill and humidity (VERY basic!!!)
Don't get your knickers in a knot..it solves nothing and makes you walk funny

JeffHamm

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Re: My first cheeses
« Reply #23 on: April 03, 2012, 05:16:59 PM »
Hi Shadeydaze,

Congrates on the successful gouda and cheddar!  Well done.  As for your aging, if they are waxed all you need worry about is the temperature.  The wax acts as a moisture barrier so the humidity doesn't matter.

Have a look on trademe, etc, for a wine fridge.  They work well as a cave as they can have their temperatures set to around 10 C, which is good for agining.  Double check on the temperature range though, just to make sure it will set to be in that 10-12 C range.  Then you just manage the humidity with ripening boxes. 

Anyway, a cheese to you for your successes!

- Jeff

Offline Shadeydaze

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Re: My first cheeses
« Reply #24 on: April 06, 2012, 12:13:55 AM »
Cheers Jeff will have a look for one...at the moment it's ice cream containers being changed every day    ::)
Don't get your knickers in a knot..it solves nothing and makes you walk funny

Offline Shadeydaze

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Re: My first cheeses
« Reply #25 on: April 07, 2012, 06:08:10 AM »
Well blow me down Jeff had a look on Trademe and there was one for sale in Greymouth...so guess who's going to drive over to Greymouth and pick up a cheese cave ...I mean wine fridge...nah I mean cheese cave!!! ^-^.............................






My husband    ;D     LOL!!!!
Don't get your knickers in a knot..it solves nothing and makes you walk funny

JeffHamm

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Re: My first cheeses
« Reply #26 on: April 07, 2012, 06:18:33 AM »
Well done!  Pick up some plastic ripening boxes, and you should be all set.  I did the ice in a chilly  bin type cave for awhile.  Worked well, but it required maintenance daily, and as the seasons changed the amount of ice required would  change too.  But worst, it only held about 4 cheeses!  Congratulations on the new addition to the family!

- Jeff

Offline Shadeydaze

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Re: My first cheeses
« Reply #27 on: April 08, 2012, 08:11:54 AM »
Thanks so much for the idea...yes it has been getting tiresome swapping ice blocks every day...I'm looking forward to switching it on and then being able to see my cheeses through the glass  ;D

I never had any idea how addictive this was going to be ....mind you I have chooks and know how addictive that can be (started with 8 and now I don't know how many but somewhere around 200!!!)...so I should have known really LOL! ::)
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Offline Shadeydaze

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Re: My first cheeses
« Reply #28 on: August 26, 2012, 05:33:00 AM »
Well just thought I would give you an update on the cheeses as it's 6 months (I can't believe it's been that long!!!) since I made the cheddar type cheeses and I saved one as I wanted to mature it a bit longer just to see.

The first cheese we opened a while back was very crumbly ( a bit too crumbly to be honest) but the second we put into the wine fridge (sorry cheese cave  ;)...thanks for the idea with that Jeff) and yesterday we cut it open.

OMG it was delicious!!! I am sooooo pleased!!!

I've kept one half to eat the other I have put into quarters and re waxed it (I took the wax off completely and re-waxed it ..is that right?)...and I'll leave it for a bit longer.
Don't get your knickers in a knot..it solves nothing and makes you walk funny

JeffHamm

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Re: My first cheeses
« Reply #29 on: August 26, 2012, 06:59:14 AM »
That's great!  Cheddars really do require time to come into their own, but when they do they are so good.  Check out my 3rd Wensleydale make.  That has turned out exceptionally good at 4.5 months and continued to improve since; I've been savouring this one out, but it's hard not to just devour it.  Just a small chunk left as it is.  I've got a cheddar that I'm not opening until it's at least a year old, and I've got some others that are aging out as well.  Looking forward to them.

- Jeff